


Inked Soulmates

by Toomuchofanerd



Category: Star Trek The Original Series
Genre: M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-27
Updated: 2016-09-27
Packaged: 2018-08-17 14:21:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 7,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8147270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomuchofanerd/pseuds/Toomuchofanerd
Summary: (I decided to shorten this whole thing. I can't keep stretching it out like this!! I'll finish writing it, then weed it down and repost it!!)When puberty hits, the tattoo starts forming. The tattoo that shows the name of your soulmate. Sometimes,there are oddities. Spock's father is considered one of those oddities when a human name appears on his arm,but it turns out his son is even more of an 'oddity'. Spock gets two names on his arms,and both are the names of human males. David McCoy and his wife were your run of the mill farmers. People that weren't plain,but not great either. People you wouldn't expect anything unusual from. Their son is considered extremely weird when two names pop up, one of them an alien name and the other a guy's. George Kirk is a well known captain,someone who's well respected and well known. It comes as a shock when two names appear on James. All three struggle with acceptance not only from others,but from themselves. All three of them attempted to be what they were told was normal. Spock agreed to marry T'Pring. Bones got married to a woman. Jim got together with women. Nome of them ever found happiness in pretending.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (I'm going to be switching from Spock, to Leonard, to James. The conversations are in Vulcan,but I don't know the language well enough to attempt typing it out as it is.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spock gets his tattoos, and has to begin to learn how to live with them.

For once in his life, Spock was nervous. 

He was reaching the point in his life where the males in his species hit puberty; all people of every known species (and, most likely, the unknown species as well) had a tattoo of their soulmate's name appear as puberty began.

Spock was nervous because he felt his tattoo would be different from the other boys. He'd never really liked a girl, but to be fair, he hadn't really ever liked a boy, either. In fact, he hadn't liked anyone at all. 

At least,not in the way his mother had described soulmates. 

Spock wasn't even sure that a tattoo would appear. If something like that were to happen, Spock's father would be disappointed, and his mother would be sad.

Spock felt bad for being nervous- his species were not meant to feel as he was feeling; he was unable to calm or control his emotions. 

They swirled around inside of him to the point that he was even becoming distracted from his schoolwork.

As he stood in what was the Vulcan 'school' Spock's eyes focused on the multiple screens around him, and he answered several questions at once.

He was .09 seconds slower than normal in his replies. For a Vulcan, this was a serious thing. 

Serious to the point that Spock's teachers felt that he needed to be talked to. They informed Sarek of Spock's behavior and left him to deal with it; they did not know how to properly handle a half human child.

Spock looked up as his name was called, then proceeded to climb out of the hole he was in. 

All around him were perfectly spherical dips in the ground. Each dip had a plethora of glowing holographic screens ,and a Vulcan child,in them. The screens displayed theories and paragraphs and much more knowledge, while a mechanical voice asked question after question.

This was the way Vulcan children learned. 

Sarek was emotionless as he took Spock out of the room, down a quiet hallway where they could be alone.

In that moment, Sarek realized that he was as inexperienced as the educators were in handling human children. But Spock was not just a human child, Sarek reminded himself. Spock was also his son, and as a result was also a Vulcan child.

Someone he could reason with and explain things to.

Sarek took a soft breath in. His words were precise. 

"You have been lacking in your focus for the past few days. Your teachers are beginning to think that it is too much for you. Why have you lost focus,my son?"

Spock paused, choosing his words carefully. He attempted to make his worry sound logical, but the raw emotion slipped through. 

"I am apprehensive about my oncoming tattoo." 

Sarek looked at his son, remembering when his tattoo had appeared. His had been the first name of a different species. He knew, though on a lesser scale, what it felt like to be different due to something that could not be changed. 

"Why are you apprehensive?" 

If it hadn't been enough to distract Spock, then Sarek would never have asked. That much was clear. 

"I fear my tattoo will be different. It is an illogical fear, one that I have not been able to calm or even control." 

Even at such a young age, such a display of such clear emotion was considered out of place.

If they had not been alone, Sarek might have chastised him.

"Have you attempted meditation?" 

Spock nodded, feeling slightly upset that his father was assuming that he had taken no measures against the feelings.

Spock showed no such emotion,though, as he looked his father over. 

"I have attempted every known method of calming and controlling emotions that I know of." 

Which was every Vulcan way, and even a few human ways.

Spock's emotions were just too strong, and to him, in a way, logical. His fear was caused by the attraction he had..or, rather, didn't seem to have.

A variable he could not change.

"Your tattoo will come soon enough. Then your fears will be calmed. "

Sarek did not know what else to say, so he simply walked Spock back to the classroom (if it could be considered that). 

Sarek's words actually helped Spock to focus, and his speed returned to normal.

A few days later Spock was awoken by a burning in both of his arms. He wasn't old or well trained enough to kelp himself from crying,though he managed to supress the scream bubbling in the back of his throat. 

He pressed his face into his bed to mute the sounds of his tears.

Many times he'd been informed of the burning that came with the coming of the tattoo,but it was always said to be in only one arm,and not as intense. The more intense the pain,the more turmoil the relationship was going to put him through. 

That's what the computers said,at least. 

His coming relationship must be one of immense trouble. The pain lasted only a few minutes (2.87 minutes,to be exact. Spock had kept track.),but it seemed much longer.

Afterwards,Spock felt drained and...worried.

He'd always hoped that his relationship would be one with little to no pain,but it was clear it would not be. The feelings weren't enough for him to show,or to stay awake. 

He fell asleep easily. 

The next morning,Spock was jolted awake by his father's sharp words.

"He has two names,both male."

Sarek didn't raise his voice,but his tone was almost harsh in Vulcan standards. 

Even just by hearing his voice, Spock could tell his father was upset. Meaning that his feelings were strong...very,very strong. 

For the first time, Spock was scared of his father. 

His mother came into the room to find Spock sitting straight up,his face clear of emotion. 

She gently reached for him, gripping his wrist so she could read the name on his left arm.

'Leonard McCoy' She moved to read his other arm. 'James Kirk' 

Her voice was soft. "I love you the same no matter what. This doesn't make you less than anyone else." 

Spock was confused by her words,but it did not show. 

Silence, then Amanda left. Spock got dressed in the clothes worn once the tattoo appeared,which were long sleeved in order to keep privacy,and quickly headed to the dining room to eat.

There was nothing said as they ate,which was the custom, but the emptiness was tense with unspoken words.

At the end of the meal,Sarek spoke. 

"It is not logical to mate with someone you can not reproduce with,or to have two mates." 

Spock looked at Sarek.

"It is just as illogical to lecture me over something that I can not change." 

Spock's words cut Sarek short, and it was left at that.

Sarek did what he always did before leaving for work,and then left. Spock followed his example, but instead headed for the school. 

His day passed normally. When it was time to leave for home,his bullies headed for him. 

"You are not Vulcan. You will make decisions based on emotions and disgrace our species." 

Spock responded as he normally did. That is,to say,logically. 

"I am half Vulcan,and I have been taught to control my emotions as well as any other Vulcan. They will not influence my decisions. I have said this before. Repeating yourself in an attempt to get me to show emotions has not worked before and it will not work now." 

There was the slightest of pauses. 

"Perhaps physical simulation will cause an emotional response." 

It was a tactic that hadn't been used before. The Vulcan child closest to Spock, Stonn, pushed Spock towards one of the dips.

Spock fell back, and for the longest moment he'd ever experienced,Spock's tattoos were clear.

"Two names. That means that one of them must die." 

Luckily, the exposure hadn't been long enough for even a Vulcan to read the names,but it had been clear there were two of them. 

What Stonn said was true. The only known instances of a Vulcan having two names was when one of the mates ended up dying. 

Spock got up calmly, his face blank. He would never tell anyone how deeply those words went, or how much they hurt.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard McCouy gets his tattoos, and finds himself to be the most unlucky boy in the world.

Leonard had a strange feeling everything was gonna change when he got his tattoo,but he didn't know why.

It was probably just his nerves trying to scare him. 

Puberty was hitting him hard-at fourteen, he was already growing hair everywhere and his voice liked to crack at the worst of times. He was supposed to have already gotten his tattoo, but it was a little late.

Stuff like that happened all the time, though,so he didn't worry too much. He just liked to imagine what would happen if his tattoo never came.

The awkwardness...He never imagined his tattoo being what it turned out to be. 

Leonard had gone apple picking with his parents early in the morning, then had helped with gathering the wheat, so by the time he headed to bed he was tired outta his wits. 

That same night,he got woken up by a harsh burning in his arms. 

He let out a loud whoop into the stillness of the night, jumping up. He rushed to the bathroom,so tired that it didn't compute that his tattoo was coming- or that both of his arms were burning. 

He ran cold water over his arms to help with the burning. The burning stopped,and Leonard turned to find both of his parents up. 

His dad looked rather grumpy and his mom excited. 

He clicked on the bathroom light and showed them his arms,still too zoned out to realize what was going on. 

His mother gasped and covered her mouth and his father's eyes got cold. Leonard wondered what was wrong and moved his arms so he could look at them.

'James Kirk' and ' S'chn Spock' were very clearly displayed on his arms.

Two names..two names! Leonard's eyes got wide.

"Why didn't you tell us you were gay?"

David,Leonard's dad, was asking as if it was a crime. Unluckily for Leonard,he was in the only town on the entire planet that was still ,after hundreds of years,mostly against gay people and polygamy.

"..because I'm not! I like girls, I swear!" 

Leonard was telling the truth,in a way. 

He did like girls,but he also like boys. That was something he wouldn't admit then, and would have trouble admitting later on.

"Then why do you have two guys' names on your arms?!"

Leonard set his jaw,trying not to let his sadness show.

"One of them is alien-maybe it's a girl's name! Maybe it's just that, somehow, she loves both of us,and we're all considered soulmates because of it?"

Leonard was grasping at anything he could to try and keep his father from exploding.

It was lies and all of them knew it, but lies were better than the truth at this point.

Leonard couldn't help thinking about a saying he'd heard once, about pretty lies and ugly truths.

"Go to bed. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

David's words were somehow merciful and sharp at the same time.

Leonard felt a bit hurt at the idea that his parents would act as if it was his choice to have those stupid tattoos be like they were.

Leonard was woken up by a rooster crowing early the next morning. He waved off the sunlight as if that would make it go away and turned to face the other side of his room.

It felt oddly stuffy in the room.

In moments, Leonard found out why.

His dad was standing there, looking as upset as he had been the night before.

"Get up. You're helping me with the animals today."

Leonard rolled to edge of his bed and got up. He dragged his feet as he walked over to his closet.

He grabbed some clothes and waited for his dad to leave. It didn't take long for his dad to get the clue and get out.

Leonard got dressed in the things he normally wore to help his dad with the animals: a pair of worn over alls, tall cowboy boots, a wide brimmed hat, and a short sleeved shirt. 

Today, the short sleeved shirt wasn't acceptable. Leonard was sent back for a long sleeved shirt.

The heat would kill him! At least, that's what it felt like after only a few hours of work.

The day passed awfully slow, and by the time it was over, Leonard felt worked to the bone.

He hadn't worked so hard in his whole life!

Leonard ate dinner as if it was his first meal in months, then started to head for his room.

"Where do you think you're going,boy?"

The words froze Leonard. He turned to face his dad.

"I was gonna go tah bed." 

David shoot his head.

"Sit down. I told you we were gonna talk and we're gonna talk."

Leonard sat down slowly, worried about what his father would say and do. 

Now,Leonard was a tough young man, but when he was sent to bed that night he was in tears.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kirk gets his tattoos in the middle of class. He's worried, and thinks of himself as a mistake.

James was anxious about his tattoo. 

 

He found lots of people his age to be good looking in the way that his father tended to describe what ‘young love’ felt like.

 

Would his soulmate even be human, or a girl?

 

He wasn’t sure how his parents would react if his tattoo turned out to be a guy.

 

Even if the guy was super hot. (Which was something he thought about a lot, though he’d never admit it.)

 

James was supposed to be a woman’s man like his father had once been.

 

It was made clear from day one that boys liking boys and interspecies relationships weren’t wrong, just not something for him.

 

At least, his parents didn’t think it was for him. He knew that he’d probably end up with someone who wasn’t a female human.

 

He was fine with that, as long as they were attractive and kind to him. 

 

Yeah, he was pretty shallow, but he knew that. 

 

It wasn’t something he could help at his age, or at this point in his life.

 

He sometimes wondered if his shallowness would ever change at all.

 

Well, that wasn’t something he should be thinking about at the moment.

 

He was in class, and he should really be listening to his teacher.

 

...but it was so boring, and he already knew most of it!

 

James leaned back, staring out of the window, hoping that the class would end soon.

 

Seriously, what would his tattoo be like? 

 

He’d never really looked too close at others’ tattoos, so he didn’t even know if they were fancy or what. 

 

What if his tattoo was completely plain, or ridiculous?! 

 

James imagined his tattoo having a cat tail, and cat ears. He smiled, because the idea seemed totally dumb.

 

If his soulmate was an alien, would the tattoo feature their name in their native language, or would it transfer to an English version?

 

He wouldn’t know until his tattoo appeared, of course, but he preferred to ask things he couldn’t answer and imagine silly things than to listen to his teacher preach about things he already knew.

 

As his mind wandered farther and farther, time seemed to speed by.

 

James let out a small squeak as both of his arms began burning out of nowhere. 

 

He grabbed his arms, not sure what to do. 

 

His squeak luckily wasn’t loud enough to get the attention of anyone but his neighbor, as it’d gone sort of high towards the end.

 

James closed his eyes tightly, getting up and hurrying out of the room.

 

He ignored his teacher calling out after him, and nearly ran towards the bathroom.

 

He locked himself in a bathroom stall and stared at his arms, crying silently.

 

James wasn’t really used to much pain, as he was kind of young. He certainly hadn’t been expecting it to hurt so badly when his parents had said it’d “sting a little”. 

 

A little?! What a lie!

 

He was on the verge of screaming or going to the nurse's office to make sure that nothing was wrong.

 

Then it faded just as suddenly as it started, and James felt himself let out a sigh of relief.

 

He wiped the tears off of his face and looked at his arms.

 

‘Leonard McCoy’ and ‘T’chn Spock’ 

 

Two names? Well, it made sense that he’d have two names. He liked a lot of people.

 

He liked the idea of loving two people and having them love him back.

 

Leonard was definitely a male name, but he wasn’t so sure about Spock. 

 

So he had a guy and an alien. He could live with that…

 

But he wasn’t sure his parents could. 

 

Was it right that he got to love two people? 

 

Maybe his tattoos were wrong. He didn’t like that idea, but it was something he’d probably end up telling his parents later on that night.

 

He really wanted his mom and dad to be happy. More than he wanted to meet his soulmates, even.

 

James cared more about what others thought of him at this point than what he thought of himself. 

 

What would people think?

 

Was something wrong with him?

 

He’d never even heard of someone having two names! 

 

It was a scary thought that maybe something was wrong with him, but that made as much sense to him as having two names.

 

If he ignored his tattoos, could he make them change to something else? 

 

He knew the answer was no, but he still liked to lie to himself about it.

 

James blinked slowly, breathing deeply. 

 

He’d just wear long sleeved shirts and tell everyone that he didn’t like the way the tattoo looked.

 

He was sure that there’d been people that didn’t like how their tattoos appeared.

 

Even if he was the first, it was better than letting people know that he was so...wrong.

 

At least, the idea that he was was beginning to form in his head, despite the fact that both of his parents had told him stories of people that loved more than one person.

 

Those were stories, and it was always aliens!

 

James felt awful about himself, yet relieved somewhere deep inside.

 

He had had the idea that he’d have to choose to love one person.

 

He had too much love in himself for that! 

 

There was a rule that allowed him to go home; getting a tattoo was a huge deal after all.

 

The problem was hiding his tattoos on the way to the office to inform them.

 

Maybe if he just walked ‘sharply’, or crossed his arms over his chest as if upset. 

 

That’d work well enough for a little while, so he decided to cross his arms as he headed to the office. 

 

Once he’d explained, and his mother had come to get him, Kirk was really worried. 

 

There was no way he’d hide it from them forever. 

 

They’d make him roll up his sleeves at some point.

 

The thought terrified him. 

 

Maybe he should just show them?

 

It was better to get it over, so when his mother finally broke the silence to ask him to see them, he let her. 

 

She frowned. 

 

“You have two names? That’s...strange. I’ve never seen a human have two names… That’s okay, though. You’re still you.”

 

When they got home, James showed his dad his tattoos. 

 

James’s father, George, had a response very similar to his mother’s. 

 

James felt relieved that his parents understood, but he still felt as if something was wrong with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'd like to note that all three chapters take place at different times, and at different points in each boy's life. Spock's birth year is 2230, and he's 9 years old in the time of the story, so it takes place in 2239.  
> Kirk was born in 2233, and he's 10 years old in the time of the story, so it takes place in 2243.  
> Bones was born in 2218, and he's 14 years old during the story, so it takes place in 2232.


	4. Chapter 4

Spock sometimes wondered if he'd perhaps would've been better along if he'd gone to the Vulcan Science Academy. 

He never showed this, of course, but the thought was still there.

The thought usually wandered into his mind when he was doing things he considered easy, that others at the Academy seemed to think was nearly impossible.

He was glad he'd chosen to go to Starfleet Academy instead, but it was, as it should be, something he repressed.

Spock was working on the homework his class had been assigned. 

To be more precise, the homework he'd been assigned. 

The teacher seemed to have the idea that Spock didn't enjoy not having homework.

Perhaps it had something to do with the way that Spock was always doing something? 

He was always working on answering the questions in the book, or reading the next chapter, or writing an essay. 

Which is why he was so ahead of the class that he now had to be given homework separately, he was sure.

He was done with everything in the book, but he was still doing most of the homework on the same schedule as the others.

The assignment was almost too easy. 

None of his classes posed any challenge to him...

Just like that, he was done with his homework, and he was left bored once again.

The rest of the cadets were asleep, but he wasn't feeling in the least bit tired.

The silence in the air was so much, he felt like he was going to suffocate. 

That was a silly thought, and one that he quickly pushed away. 

He was alone, it was quiet and dark. Now was the perfect time to meditate, and here he was, imaging things.

As he began to meditate, he felt someone watching him and opened his eyes to find...

Everything as it had been. He was becoming paranoid.

He knew why, too. 

He had a strange feeling that he'd meet his soulmates here. Both of them.

It was an oddly spiritual feeling, and one that felt almost logical. 

When his schooling was over in a few weeks, he'd be assigned to a ship.

He'd be on that ship for at least a few years, if not his entire career, which could span for decades.

It was likely both of his soulmates were among the crew.

What would they be like?

How would they look?

How would they act?

These, and many more thoughts floated around his head nearly constantly.

Yet there were only two questions about his soulmates that caused him to pause.

Was it true that one of them would die?

What if it was because of him?

These questions haunted him.

He'd heard many true stories of someone having two names..

Most of them were horrible and depressing to the point even a trained Vulcan had trouble hiding the pain inflicted. 

Spock was scared.

He was worried.

He'd vowed to himself long ago that he'd do anything to protect his mates, but he was always afraid.

What if he was too late?

He snapped at himself mentally. 

It was late, the only time he'd had to meditate nearly all year, and here he was, torturing himself!

He couldn't answer the questions, and to dwell on them wasn't needed nor wanted.

He reined in his emotions, and resumed his meditation. 

 

The next few days seemed to pass in a blur.

Spock had learned lots, but the pace had been too slow.

He'd finished everything two days before he graduated, while most of the other cadets ended up working hard up until the last day.

There were many angry looks pointed towards the Vulcan as he had been promoted.

His ship was assigned.

Spock didn't look at the name of his ship until he was seated among his fellow graduates. 

The U.S.S. Enterprise.

Top of the line..

The U.S.S. Enterprise was known for getting into lots of trouble.

It wouldn't be hard to die on that ship...

Spock scanned the crowd, wondering if his soulmates were among the swells of people. 

 

The first time Spock stepped onto the Enterprise, he could've sworn his heart stopped. 

Everything was pristine and updated, and he suddenly felt almost grateful to be there.

That is, until he saw the Captain, who appeared to be rather...egotistical. 

That was the only word Spock could think of, other than stunning.

Perhaps he had good reason to be full of himself?

Maybe...maybe he wasn't full of confidence when it came to commanding, but rather, when it came to interacting with others?

The captain was chatting with someone, a huge smile on his face.

This captain was James T. Kirk, his soulmate.

Spock went up to the captain. 

"Spock, reporting for duty as first officer, Captain."

James froze, his smile fading slightly as he turned fully to look at Spock.

His smile returned quickly. 

"Ah,...uh...alright, well...welcome aboard, Spock."


	5. Chapter 5

Leonard was 39 when he joined the crew of the Enterprise. 

He hadn't trained at Starfleet Academy, but he was the best doctor around.

To him, it was a way of getting away.

He liked the idea of being far away from Earth.

Though he didn't like the idea of being in space as much.

He didn't like much of the newer technology, either.

Those things were second in his mind as he stepped onto the ship.

He'd been dumb enough not to have read up on the names of the crew-

He didn't even know the captain's name!

This was a last-second thing.

But, boy, was the view great!

Leonard walked around the ship, amazed at how clean everything was.

He hadn't been around clean things in a long time.

Even most of the hospitals he'd been around weren't this clean!

It was nice. 

Maybe he wouldn't be saving people from too many life threatening sicknesses up here.

As he came across people, he stopped to learn their names.

He'd been told that his tour would be in a few hours, once everyone (namely the captain, who had gone onto the planet to oversee the trade himself) had returned to the ship.

He'd get to meet everyone.

But he couldn't wait for that!

He'd been walking for about an hour, just exploring each deck and even the engineering section, when he started getting tired.

He headed back up to his quarters, and was slightly surprised to find himself not wanting to meet his captain or first officer or..well, any of the crew.

It felt like too much.

He was really a space doctor.

When the security officer finally came, Leonard told him he was too tired and to come back the next day.

As he laid in bed, wondering if what he'd done be seen as rude, he had the sudden urge to look up the names of his captain and first officer.

Just them.

He decided to go with the whim, and got up to do so.

"Computer, what's the name of the captain of the Enterprise?"

There was a soft beeping noise as the computer seemed to process the question.

"James T. Kirk,a-" 

Leonard quickly cut off the computer, tugging up his sleeve to stare at James's name on his arm.

He looked at his still covered arm, and wondered...

"Computer, what's the name of the Enterprise's first officer?"

Another moment of gentle beeping.

"S'chn T'gai Spock,a-"

Once again, Leonard cut off the computer.

His heart was pounding hard.

He'd tried so hard to avoid destiny, but it seemed to have followed him.

He'd tried to be normal..he'd tried to stay away from his soulmates so that he wouldn't even be tempted.

He couldn't do anything now.

He was terrified.

Would he be able to help falling in love?

If he did fall in love, would his parents disown him?

Leonard needed to lay down to try and process the situation.

It took him hours to fall asleep, and when he did, he still hadn't found the answers.


	6. Chapter 6

James felt his heart beating fast as he looked his science officer over again.

He'd found many, many people attractive...

but..dang.

He found Spock extremely attractive.

He just hoped it wasn't showing.

Though it probably was, considering the fact that Spock hadn't even been at the science station for five minutes, and he was already bent over, scanning the area.

James wondered if the Vulcan was teasing him, or trying to tempt him, but even he knew Vulcans too well for him to believe it.

Spock was so hot without realizing it.

Everything he'd done, from the way he stood to the way he talked...

James was frustrated that Spock didn't realize what he was doing to him. 

That wasn't fair.

It was normally the other way around!

James closed his eyes, rubbing his nose gently.

Oh, what torture this trip was going to be!

If Spock kept bending over like that, James was going to go mad!

He took a deep breath and focused on making sure all was well with his ship for their final goodbye from the station.

That didn't distract him for very long.

There was nothing wrong, as expected, and they were ready to go.

Spock finally stood up, and James quickly averted his eyes.

"Hit it, Mr.Sulu!" 

James's words were extremely energetic.

James had been waiting for this for years, and not even a super hot soulmate that didn't seem to care would dampen his mood.

 

The day passed uneventfully, and slowly.

Yet, time also seemed rather quickly.

That is, when Spock would get in James's range of vision, or James would find himself looking over there.

They made eye contact an awkward number of times, mostly when James was about to check Spock over.

James wondered if Spock had already been looking, or just somehow sensed James's eyes heading that way.

James really didn't know that much about Vulcans, what they could and couldn't do, just about how they acted.

Maybe Vulcans could read minds and Spock was reading his mind.

Oh no...

James seriously hoped Spock couldn't read his mind, because he'd thought of some...rather inappropriate things earlier.

Dang Spock with his bending over!!

 

James was relieved when it was time for the bridge crew to report for bed.

He was tired, though nothing much had happened, and anxious.

Would he have the guts to ask Spock to spend the night with him?

Probably, considering how many non-soulmates he'd swooned.

 

Oh, but he didn't..

He'd never really thought of someone as attractive as he did Spock.

Spock was top of the line.

And James wasn't sure he could handle the hiding of emotions.

He was used to most people being pretty dang ditty open about how they felt at all times.

Now that James was in his quarters, all he really wanted was to think about how the day had gone.

Once he laid down, though, all he could think about was Spock.

Leonard McCoy didn't even cross his mind, he was so distracted.

Well, more excitement for tomorrow...

James fell asleep rather fast, and dreamed about marrying Spock.


	7. Chapter 7

Spock almost wanted to transfer to another ship.

He didn't find James to be in the least bit attractive. 

In any way. 

Seeing James made him wonder if perhaps the reason that he had two tattoos was because James wasn't truly his soulmate.

There was no proof for that, so Spock didn't really believe it, but he still wondered.

The human half of him did, anyways.

James tried too hard to be funny.

Spock didn't like James's jokes.

None of them made any sense, and most were out of nowhere.

Spock would be working on something, such as checking to see exactly when they'd arrive to their next set destination, and James would ask something like, "What did the hat say to the scarf?"

The answers always made less sense, and Spock didn't see the point in telling them.

Spock felt like James was trying too hard to be likeable.

What reason was there to be likeable if you were already destined to love someone and knew it?

Spock remembered, just for a moment, the searing pain he'd felt when his tattoos had appeared.

He remembered how little sense it had made to him that he'd love two people.

Spock had never really wanted to love anyone, or had the slightest feelings of loving someone in anything other than a platonic way.

Why would he end up loving more than one person?

The entire time he was on the bridge with James and the rest of the bridge crew, he was hoping (something he honestly didn't do that often, and tried not to do) that his other soul mate was...more to his tastes.

His time was spent illogically imaging a human male who was as logical as Spock, who was clean kept and Vulcan in all ways but body.

Imaging his other soulmate gave him more reason to dislike James even more, but he imagined his other soulmate to be perfect.

Perfection wasn't something that happened in humans.

It would never happen.

Spock knew that.

Yet he continued to trick himself into believing that maybe there was a perfect human out there, and that he was Spock's soulmate.

Perhaps Spock was defining perfect incorrectly. 

That night, alone in his quarters, Spock had a strong urge to contact Leonard McCoy. 

The ship doctor...his other soulmate.

He'd read up on both James and Leonard, and if he was honest with himself, he'd been expecting James's behavior. 

Leonard seemed much more...mature? 

Not just in age, but in what he'd done.

Of course, Spock hadn't met him, so he couldn't be sure about the way Leonard would act.

The next morning came slowly, as Spock had had no reason to sleep and had instead stayed up to meditate. 

Spock didn't mind the slowness; it gave him plenty of time to think about everything and to regain control of his thoughts and the way he felt.

Would Leonard destroy that control?

No. Spock wouldn't let him..

He'd been too loose with his self control lately.

When Spock's alarm went off, he calmly shut it off and got ready.

His walk to the bridge was quick. His walk was brisk.

Nervousness was flowing through him, but his pace was the only sign.

The moment Spock stepped onto the bridge, his eyes fell on Leonard.

Leonard's picture had been in his files, as had James's, but it still came as a shock.

Leonard looked slightly messier, and Spock found it almost...alluring.

He found himself speechless.

Spock silently headed towards the science station, looking down as he went.

His heart was racing.

Leonard was...something new. 

Something to learn about.

And Spock could imagine himself falling in love with Leonard.

He wasn't in love yet.

Now, James was another thing entirely. 

Spock couldn't see himself even slightly liking the Captain.

Spock's eyes seemed to have a mind (or shall we say heart?) of their own; they stayed on Leonard throughout James's conversation with him.

When Leonard turned to face Spock, Spock quickly looked away, the tips of his ears turning the slightest of greens.

Oh, man, Leonard was walking towards him.

For the smallest of seconds, Spock panicked, before he regained control and managed to calm down.

"Hello, Doctor. I am Spock." 

Spock held up his hand in the traditional Vulcan greeting, his back straight.

Outwards, he didn't show any sign of being nervous.

"Hey, I'm Leonard. I see ya read up a little bit about your crew, huh?"

Leonard smiled, and the smile seemed to spread into his eyes.

Spock found Leonard's slight Southern drawl to be interesting, and found himself wanting to hear more of it, though that was illogical.

"Yes..." 

Spock paused. He normally would've left it at that, but he really did want to hear more of Leonard's voice. 

He told himself it was simply to get more personal experience with the accent, as he'd never meant anyone with a Southern drawl, but he deliberately set aside the fact that he'd be spending the next five years with Leonard as the ship doctor.

"Have you read the crew files as well?"

Leonard seemed almost surprised by the question, as if it hadn't occurred to him to read anyone's files.

"Nah, of course not. I don't have time for that. Well, it was nice tah meet ya."

Leonard gave an awkward half-wave, and headed for Uhura.

Spock was distracted from his work for the rest of the time Leonard was on the bridge.

Leonard was nothing like what Spock had been imaging, but he still seemed pretty good to Spock at the moment.

Sadly, the moment Spock looked back on how he'd acted and how he'd been thinking, he scorned himself and swore never to do anything like it again.


	8. Chapter 8

Leonard was surprised when he met James.

James was handsome, and he made lots of jokes.

He put Leonard at ease, and Leonard was rarely ever truly at ease. 

Leonard liked the feeling.

Of course, he'd been expecting Spock to be as cold and formal as he had been.

Spock was Vulcan, and he couldn't feel.

Leonard couldn't imagine not feeling, and he almost felt sorry for Spock.

Maybe Spock was tattooed on his arm simply because their relationship would end up being logical?

Leonard couldn't see how their relationship could be logical, but he didn't question it too much.

He was sure the Spock would find some excuse to make it seem logical.

Leonard was already deeply in love with James; it was something he couldn't deny.

James just had charm, and he made everything so casual.

How had he managed to end up with two soulmates that were so different?

Leonard didn't care; he was happy he'd gotten James, and wondered if James was just as happy about the relationship.

Leonard was excited at the prospect of spending more time with James.

Surprisingly, nothing dirty crossed his mind, just cuddling and nose kisses. Gosh, he was being awfully cheesy.

He went around the bridge and introduced himself, but if he was being honest he was doing it so that he'd have more time to look at James.

He'd had acted like this since he'd met his ex-wife.

People rarely tried to pursue relationships with people that weren't their soulmates, but Leonard had had hope that maybe he was actually straight, and that there was some screw up.

He'd tried to ignore all the cute boys he came across, and just focus on changing himself. 

His parents were the main ones who pressured him to marry a woman, and he regretted it.

He'd considered her a best friend and the divorce had hurt both of them and the marriage had wasted their time.

His daughter was the only good thing to come out of the marriage.

Leonard was trailing off again. He hated when he did that.

Leonard took one last look at James, somehow never noticing the fact that Spock was looking at him.

He almost sighed at the thought of leaving, but turned and headed for the turbolift.

Man, today was going to be boring, he'd gotten onto the ship after everything was already filed and done.

Now all he had to do was wait in the sickbay for someone to hurt themselves.

How seriously could someone hurt themselves on a starship, when they were in Starfleet territory? 

Leonard was thinking that there had to be at least one person that did something dumb to get themselves hurt.

There was always that one dumb person, and for some reason, he was hoping it would be James.

Though it'd be really bad if it turned out the Captain was dumb enough to hurt himself while filing out paperwork and sitting in the captain's chair, Leonard really just wanted to see him again.

Even if it meant James was hurt.

Leonard was being a bit selfish.

He didn't even think of Spock, other than the quick thought that maybe there was a mistake, because Spock hadn't seemed to like either James or him.

And he certainly wasn't liking Spock so far. 

Spock wasn't the kind of person you could be intimate with. 

He was too closed off.

Leonard couldn't handle it, he needed someone who had their heart on their sleeve.

James had his heart out there, and he didn't seem to hide much.

Leonard was thinking of things he shouldn't be thinking about at the moment.

Nurse Chapel was looking at him oddly. If anyone had come in, he probably wouldn't have even noticed.

He needed to focus just in case.

An emergency could happen at any moment.

What he wasn't expecting, despite his 'training', was Spock to come to sick bay in his free time.

It seemed like something that Spock wouldn't normally do; it wasn't needed.

Spock wasn't reporting anything or checking up on anyone...

Leonard almost believed that maybe Spock was there to see him, but Spock headed over to Nurse Chapel.

Even though he didn't find Spock attractive, he was still jealous when he saw Spock talking with Chapel.

That was his soulmate, attraction or not.

Leonard almost said something, just to get Spock's attention.

He didn't. He didn't love Spock, and he couldn't see himself doing so at any point in time.

Still, having Spock there, talking to Chapel, ruined the rest of his shift.


	9. Chapter 9

James was really going to enjoy being the captain of the Enterprise. 

Not only were his soulmates there, and totally hot, but the Enterprise was the most beautiful ship he'd ever seen.

She was top of the line.

He sometimes looked over the engines and wondered how he'd managed to get so lucky.

Then other times, he looked at Spock, saw the dislike, and wondered if it was luck at all, but....something else. He didn't know.

Spock always looked at Leonard as though Leonard was the only one he loved. 

When he looked at James, he looked cold. Colder than he did to everyone else.

Within a week of having been on the ship with Leonard and Spock, he already was in love with the both of them.

He'd protect them. 

Of course, he was going to protect the whole crew. They were part of his crew. His responsibility.

That thought stressed him out sometimes.

What if the roles had been reversed? 

Would he have trusted Leonard or Spock with his life? 

He'd have had to, but still.

He got the feeling that Spock wanted to kill him.

He'd been trying to tone down the flirting and jokes, and had started looking up Vulcan culture.

Yeah, you read that right. 

James Kirk read book after book on Vulcans, hoping to understand Spock better.

James was grateful that it would take them several days to reach unexplored space, and that they had things to do along the way.

The crew was to deliver replicators to a newly colonized planet that was just hours away. 

After that, they were to head over to "Snowball planet". 

There wasn't an official name for the class M planet yet, but it wasn't known if there was life there, and the crew were going to transport to the planet and send a probe into the icy waters and into the chilly air. 

The planet had very little water, less than 25%, and much of it was frozen over. 

But for now, for the next three hours, Kirk was busy filling out paperwork and reading on his PADD. 

He was reading his fourth book on Vulcans. This one was about the history and culture on the planet. 

Reading about Vulcans made Jim feel closer to Spock. It was as if he was getting to know his soulmate better. 

He enjoyed it. It had been a very interesting thing for him.

Yeoman Rand handed him more paperwork, interrupting his very pleasant thought train and his reading.

Man, being a starship captain could really be boring sometimes. He took the paperwork from her. 

He normally wouldn't take the time to read over the full paper (both Scotty and Leonard tended to ramble in their reports), but he was honestly just that bored. 

He felt eyes on him, and glanced up to find Spock looking at him with something akin to interest. 

It made James's heart skip a beat, but he acted as though he'd simply been looking up in thought, and signed the paperwork. 

He quietly asked Rand if she was willing to deliver a personal message to Leonard. 

Rand looked intrigued, and she must have been, because she agreed. 

James felt awkward, as he had when he'd first started getting crushes. He whispered the question into her ear. 

"Would you like to eat dinner with me tonight, at 2000?" 

James thought he saw the slightest blush appear on Rand's cheeks, but didn't comment on the matter, instead returning to his reading. 

It was several more minutes until Yeoman Rand returned, and James found it hard to focus on reading as he waited. 

Rand seemed to be smiling like she had a secret as she stepped back onto the bridge. James looked up quickly, doing a terrible job at acting like he hadn't been waiting.

"Well?" He asked, sitting straight up and focusing on Rand as she headed for him. "I hope you have some good news?"

This time he'd failed at acting like he wasn't hopeful; he knew that there was a waver to his voice, a hint of anxiety. 

They were soulmates..they were supposed to be together, right? 

Why would Leonard say no? 

But then again...Jim had heard many stories of soulmates refusing each other and instead turning to someone else. 

Hadn't Leonard been married before? 

No less, to a woman? 

The moments that passed as Rand walked close enough for him to hear her were the longest of his life. 

Why had he even asked Rand to deliver the message for him? 

Oh, yeah, because Leonard was already proving to be stubborn and refused to give Jim his personal PADD information.

That, and Jim wasn't allowed off the bridge when he was on duty. 

Oh, the responsibilities of a captain!

Rand leaned in close. "He says he'll meet, but not to expect anything out of it. He's, and I quote, 'a gentleman'." 

By the way she said it and the gleam in her eyes, Rand seemed to find the idea of Leonard being a gentleman almost funny. 

"Thank you." Jim whispered in reply, looking excited. 

Even if it did end up with just the two of them in the gym or ,dare he say it, in the medbay, it'd be worth it. 

He really was smitten.


End file.
